Town of Stratford - Procedures

Site Plan Review

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Purpose. Site plan review promotes the health, safety, and general welfare of the Town. It is further the intent to ensure optimum overall conservation, protection, preservation, development, and use of the natural and man-related resources of the Town. It is also the intention to ensure consistent implementation of local zoning objectives. It is not the intent of this regulation to prohibit any land use activity but to allow all land use activities which will meet the standards set forth in this regulation.

Applicability. Site plan review is the standards-based process by which development applications are examined for consistency with the requirements of these Regulations. Site plan review shall be required if an application involves:

A variance (Section 7.3.5).

A special permit or unnamed uses (Section 7.3.4).

A coastal site plan approval, with exceptions (Section 6.2).

A subdivision.

A zone change.

A development pursuant to C.G.S. § 8-30(g).

Objectives. In reviewing a site plan, the Commission shall take into consideration the health, safety and general welfare of the public and may require such modifications it shall deem necessary to ensure the accomplishment of the following objectives. If the Commission determines that an application does not comply with the following objectives it shall deny the application:

General building and property considerations. That the location, size, design and specific details of all proposed buildings and uses shall be compatible and harmonious with the character and appearance of the surrounding neighborhood. The following aspects shall be evaluated to determine conformity to this objective.

The architectural design of all buildings including materials, color, elevations, roof line, height, size, location, bulk and signage.

The specific nature of the use including but not limited to occupancy, number of employees, hours of operation, etc.

The provision for open space and/or recreation areas.

The protection, preservation and/or enhancement of the natural environment including topography, vegetation, watercourses, wetlands, scenic views, historical structures, etc.

Traffic, pedestrian access, circulation, and parking. That all vehicular and pedestrian accessways, vehicular circulation patterns and off-street parking areas are safely designed to prevent traffic and pedestrian hazards both on and off the site and in accordance with Section 6.8. The following aspects shall be evaluated to determine conformity to this objective.

The number, location, width, grade, and alignment of vehicular and pedestrian entrances, exits, drives and walkways and the adequacy of pedestrian drop-off areas.

The distance of entrances and exits from street corners, other accessways and places of public assembly.

The visibility in both directions at all entrances and exits of the site.

The extent, nature, and arrangement of parking facilities, entrances and exits including the location and design of vehicle maneuvering areas, back around areas and fire lanes and the adequacy of vehicular stacking lanes.

The minimization of curb cuts and the interconnection of adjoining parking areas in order to encourage safe and convenient circulation.

The provision of safety devices necessary to protect life and property such as traffic signs, crosswalks, guardrails, etc.

Landscaping and screening. That the proposed development will protect the environmental quality of the site and preserve and enhance adjacent property values. The following aspects shall be evaluated to determine conformity to this objective.

Existing trees shall be preserved to the maximum extent possible particularly within all setback and buffer areas.

The adequacy of landscaping within and bordering parking and loading areas.

The location, height and materials of walks, fences, berms, hedges so as to ensure compatibility with adjacent development.

Lighting. That all exterior lights and illuminated signs shall be designed and directed so as to prevent objectionable light at, and glare across, the property lines and in accordance with Section 6.7 and that all exterior light fixtures shall be located at a minimum height from the ground and the maximum distance from the property line necessary to provide adequate and safe lighting.

Health and safety. That all utility systems shall be suitably located, adequately designed, and properly installed to serve the proposed uses and to protect the environment from adverse air, water, or land pollution. All buildings and uses shall be directly accessible for fire, police, and emergency medical services.

All refuse and recycling areas shall be located near the service entrance and shall be screened or otherwise enclosed by plantings, walls, or fencing.

The applicant shall prepare pre-development and post-development calculations of the stormwater runoff and provide a design that demonstrates a zero impact to the Town's storm drainage system, including natural waterway systems. Accordingly, the applicant shall evaluate the impacts to downstream conditions. The analysis shall include impacts from the quantity of runoff as well as the quality of the runoff. The drainage collection system shall be designed in accordance with the requirements of the Connecticut Stormwater Quality manual, as amended, as well as the requirements of Town stormwater ordinances. In addition to best management practices currently available and in the absence of specific design criteria which may not be identified in these documents or other requirements of the Town, the applicant shall, at a minimum, design the stormwater collection system to retain the first 1.3 inches of runoff on site, and provide a zero increase in the peak rate of runoff from the site for the twenty-five-year storm, with an evaluation of the impacts from a fifty- and 100-year storm. After the evaluation is complete, if a larger design storm is warranted as determined in consultation with the Town Engineer, the applicant shall design the drainage for no net increase in the runoff from the 100-year storm.

Provision shall be made for all necessary sedimentation and erosion controls during construction.

Site plan requirements. A site plan shall display accurately, and with complete dimensions of, the boundaries of a site and the location of all buildings, structures, uses, and principal site development features proposed for a specific parcel of land. Such a plan must be prepared in accordance with the Town of Stratford Zoning Regulations, reflecting all local provisions for vehicular and pedestrian circulation, parking, landscaping, buffers, signage, lighting, drainage, utilities, lighting, and other needs produced by the proposed development. All submitted plans shall be signed and sealed by an engineer, architect or landscape architect registered and licensed to conduct business in the State of Connecticut, dated and meeting the requirements set forth in this section.

An application for site plan approval may only be submitted by the owner of the property, a holder of a legal interest in the subject property, or the owner's or holder's agent. The application shall be submitted to the Zoning Commission on a form provided by the Zoning Office and shall include the requisite fee for review of the site plan application and the following information:

A list of the names and addresses of all property owners of record as per the Tax Assessor's records within 100 feet of all property lines of the subject property.

Lot dimensions and survey data, and section and lot numbers of the subject property.

Reservations, easements, and areas dedicated to public use, if known, shall be shown.

The site plan must be drawn to a maximum scale of 40 feet to one inch and shall include the subject site and the adjacent street(s) to the near curbline and, as may be relevant to the application, adjacent streets and the closest 50 feet of adjacent lots.

Proposed and existing structures and amenities, including, but not limited to, footprints of foundations, porches, decks, walkways, travel lanes, and parking areas, shall be indicated. Sufficient dimensions shall be shown to allow all zoning requirements to be confirmed.

For any application for approval of a site plan for the development or redevelopment of a commercial property adjacent to an existing greenway or complete street project, such site plan shall provide for private site amenities to be maintained by the property owner that support such greenway or complete street project. Amenities shall include items such as, but not limited to, pedestrian seating, plaza space, public art, native vegetation, and safety improvements.

Existing natural features, such as watercourses, wetlands, and trees of two-inch caliper and larger, including street trees, shall be indicated. Proposed landscaping (including trees and/or shrubs, lawn, other landscape features and natural terrain not to be disturbed) shall be indicated.

Zone development standards/table required and proposed shall be indicated in a table. Existing and proposed street and lot lines, setback lines, building heights, roof profiles, amounts of floor area by use, amounts of lot area by open use, amounts of parking required and provided, and outdoor illumination shall be indicated.

Existing and proposed grades shall be shown at two-foot intervals.

One or more benchmarks that can be used in the field to verify conditions shall be indicated.

10)

Survey: A class A-2 survey of the property, improvements, and easements.

11)

Impact analysis: An impact analysis of the development upon storm drainage, sanitary sewerage, traffic, site conditions and/or environmental resources, including environmental impacts to coastal resources and the ecosystems and habitats of Long Island Sound.

In acting upon any application for site plan approval, the Zoning Commission shall determine that all requirements of the Zoning Regulations of the Town of Stratford are met and that all applications comply with site plan review objectives set forth in Section 7.3.3C.

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